It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
by Hollyleaf The Black Cat
Summary: Jessica Jones isn't really one for Christmas; Malcolm Ducasse hopes he can change that.


**Author's Note:** This was originally posted on my AO3 on December 8th of last year. It wrote it because the world needs more stories with these two bonding because their friendship is beautiful. Also I wanted to write some Christmas stuff. This is from a tumblr prompt: "you're in the hospital for the holidays so i came in while you were sleeping to decorate your room i love you merry Christmas" with a few changes though. Hope you all enjoy!

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One would think that superhero/private investigator Jessica Jones would take a break during the Christmas season but unfortunately people never stopped needing help (and there were bills that still needed paying). So the jobs continued. Even two days before Christmas, a PI's work was never done.

However, Jessica wasn't in the middle of work at the moment. No, currently, Jessica was sitting in Metro General getting a deep gash on her forehead stitched up. Normally, she would skip the hospital but the damn thing just wouldn't stop bleeding. Luckily, a familiar face was her nurse.

"What happened this time?" asked Claire Temple as she sat down in front of the super heroine.

"Woman hired me about a cheating husband. Followed him to a bar. Nothing on him yet but as I was leaving I saw a drunk guy try to grab a girl in an alley. I confront him, he cuts me with a piece of glass," began Jessica.

Claire waited a moment for her to continue. When she didn't she asked, "And?"

"And I broke his wrist."

"Almost sounds like something a friend of mine would do," said Claire, her eyes staying focused on her stitching work.

"This the friend you said was like me and Luke?"

Claire nodded. "Yep."

"You ever going to introduce us?" asked Jessica.

"I'm sure you two will run into each other sometime."

"At the hospital?" joked Jessica.

"Actually he doesn't like hospitals. He'd rather be treated on my couch." Claire then cut the stitch and stepped back. "Alright that should do you."

"Thanks," began Jessica as she hopped off the bed. "I'll see you around."

"Hopefully not too much," said Claire with a smile.

Jessica just smiled and nodded before heading out the little curtained area and toward the reception desk. After signing her name on a couple of papers, she was free to go. "Thank you and have a merry Christmas," said the woman at the desk as Jessica handed her the papers.

"You too," said Jessica as she headed toward the door.

As Jessica was walking down the street she couldn't help but notice how the city was decked out for Christmas. Lights around every street post, wreaths on restaurant doors, shop windows filled with mannequins in sweaters and trees all trimmed up pretty. It only reminded her about how she hadn't put anything up at her apartment.

Not that she really cared too though. Jessica hadn't really celebrated Christmas since her family died. In her first few years living with the Walkers, Trish's mom would have some expensive decorator make the house all pretty for Christmas but it was mainly just so they could use it for pictures. Most of the time Ms. Walker would drag Trish to some celebrity party or, for a period there, Trish would leave to go find drugs on Christmas Eve.

During those times, Jessica would just sit in the house or sometimes wander the streets aimlessly. Whatever she did though, she'd do it with thoughts of her dad videoing present opening or her mother and her baking gingerbreads or her brother begging for her help to put the star on the tree running through her head.

Even when Trish got better, started Trish Talk, and the two of them got away to her new apartment, there wasn't a lot of Christmas celebration. They' decorate a tree together which was always fun and they'd exchange gifts but that was about it as Trish kept super busy even around the holiday season.

Jessica didn't like to think about Christmas two years ago. She'd been under Kilgrave's control at the time and not long after was when she killed Reeva. Even Christmas a year ago hadn't been too cheery. About a year free of Kilgrave by then and he'd still haunted her. Plus she'd just been getting Alias Investigations started and had way too much on her plate than celebrating a holiday that was becoming nothing but depressing to her.

This year was another year of Jessica not really getting into the holiday spirit. One of her clients had asked why she hadn't decorated her office and she bluntly told them it was because it didn't matter. There were too many memories associated with Christmas. Good ones she'd never get back and bad ones she'd prayed she could forget. It was better just to treat it as another day to trudge through.

About that time Jessica was arriving at her apartment building. When she walked in she noticed a group of carolers in the lobby, planning out their singing route. She just shook her head and hopped onto the elevator.

When she arrived at her floor, she started toward her room, ready to sleep through the next two days of Christmas cheer. However, when she got close to her door she noticed the light on and heard rustling. By instinct Jessica immediately readied herself for a fight. So she slammed her door open and was met by the surprised gasps of Malcolm and Robyn. She noticed them holding garland and ornaments and there was a tree sitting in the corner behind her desk.

"What are you two doing in here?" asked Jessica.

"I-I thought our office needed a little Christmas spirit so we decided we'd put up some decorations."

"Our office?" began Jessica, "No, _my_ office and I don't want any of this."

Malcolm took a step toward her. "Come on, Jessica, it'll be nice."

"Maybe make you a little more cheery," sneered Robyn.

Jessica glared over at the quirky girl then turned her attention back to Malcolm. "Take it down."

She headed off toward her bedroom, feeling her point was made clear, but Malcolm followed. "Jessica, it's Christmas. Don't you want to celebrate with at least one cute little tree?"

Jessica was silent a moment as she threw her jacket and scarf on the bed. Then she turned back to Malcolm. "Look I've got some...things I associate with Christmas now and none of them are cheery."

"Do you mean…" Malcolm trailed off but Jessica knew what he was talking about.

"Kilgrave is just a part of it," she began, "Celebrating Christmas is just a mix bad memories and then memories with people who aren't around anymore. There aren't good memories anymore."

"Then we make some," began Malcolm.

Jessica looked at him, ready to just scoff at the idea until he held his hand out to her. "We can start tonight. Just decorate the tree with me and Robyn and if you still don't feel any better about it, I'll take it down."

Jessica let out a sigh and nodded. "Fine but I'm getting a drink first."

So they headed back into the living room where Jessica grabbed a drink from the fridge before going to look at the tree. It was short and kind of skinny but it looked like it was coming along okay. A string of lights and some red garland was wrapped around it and a star set at the top.

"So, where are the ornaments?" she asked.

"In those two boxes," began Malcolm, "we thought red, gold, and white ornaments would be okay. Pretty traditional Christmas colors."

"Ah," began Robyn, "Don't forget about the others we got." She moved around Jessica and grabbed a bag from a Christmas store.

"Oh yeah," began Malcolm, "We bought these special for everyone."

That's when Malcolm began pulling out ornaments and laying them on Jessica's desk. A fish. A jar of peanut butter. A brick. A female lion. She looked at the two of them confused. "Ok what the hell do these represent? It looks like you choose them by picking random words from the dictionary."

"Ok let us explain," began Malcolm, picking up the fish, "This is Robyn."

Jessica could think of a lot of rude comments but instead asked, "Why?"

"Because I'm a pisces," said Robyn.

"Fitting," said Jessica, taking another swig of her drink.

Robyn just gave her a look before picking up the next one. "This is Malcolm cause, you know, he loves his peanut butter."

"I've come a long way from breaking into apartments to eat some though," he said.

Jessica gave a soft smile. At least that was something to be happy about. Malcolm was a completely different person than he was last Christmas.

"So who's the brick?" asked Jessica.

"It's not a brick," shouted Robyn until Malcolm interrupted her.

"It's banana bread," he began, "for Reuben."

Immediately a somber feeling consumed the room. No one said anything until Robyn spoke up. "This is my first Christmas without him. I'd always make him spend it with me; sometimes he wanted to go to a party with friends or something but I wouldn't let him." Tears were starting to form in her eyes as she continued. "He would have really enjoyed this."

The room was quiet again as everyone took a moment to reflect on what had happened over the past couple of months. No one had been left unaffected by what Kilgrave had done but maybe that's what had united the three of them.

"We should put it in the middle. You know cause Reuben's always in our hearts," said Malcolm as he tapped his own chest.

Robyn looked over at Jessica who just nodded in agreement. "Sounds good to me."

So Malcolm stuck it on the tree as Jessica picked up the female lion. "So if this me then?"

"A cougar," said Robyn. She didn't say it with any malice in her voice this time.

"That's what Robyn picked out for you," began Malcolm. "I choose a different one."

So he pulled another out of the bag and handed it to Jessica. She stared at it for a moment. "It's not easy being world's greatest detective but someone's got to do it" was printed on it. Then, in Sharpie at the bottom, were the words "Thank you, Jessica."

She looked up at Malcolm who smiled at her; she couldn't help but return it. So she walked over and stuck the ornament near the top of the tree. Then she turned around and said, "Alright. Let's get this tree decorated."

Robyn and Malcolm both nodded and began grabbing ornaments. The three of them spent the rest of the night decorating the tree, took a quick break for beer and peanut butter sandwiches, then started decorating the rest of the office. Robyn left about 9 and so it was just Malcolm and Jessica. They ended the night hanging a wreath on the door, perfectly framing "Alias Investigations."

"It looks pretty good," said Malcolm.

Jessica nodded. "It does."

"We should've did this earlier. Gotten a few more days to enjoy it," he said.

"There's always next year," she said and he looked over at her surprised.

"Really?" he asked.

Jessica shrugged. "Why not? This was kinda...fun." She then looked him in the eye. "Thanks for this Malcolm."

Suddenly, she was pulled into a hug. "You're welcome, Jessica," he began, "Merry Christmas."

The year had been hard and Christmas never had really brought her cheer before but maybe Malcolm was right. Maybe Christmas could be filled with good memories. Maybe she just needed the help of some friends too make them.

So Jessica, never really one for hugging, couldn't help but return it. "Merry Christmas, Malcolm."

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Reviews and constructive criticism are much appreciated! ;D


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